Canadian universities vow to end ties with Confucius Institutes

Confucius Institute

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has passed a resolution last week to end all ties with Confucius Institutes that it said were supported by the Chinese government in various universities around the world to facilitate “cultural exchanges”.

“Confucius Institutes are essentially political arms of the Chinese government,” said James Turk, Executive of CAUT. “Simply put, Confucius Institutes are owned and operated by an authoritarian government and beholden to its politics.”

Tibetans and Uyghurs have also joined hands in calling an end to all ties with Confucius Institutes calling it “as part of their (Chinese Communist Government) soft-power tactics to spread propaganda.”

Norbu Tsering, Tibetan MP from North America said, “I am deeply inspired by this action from the association of university teachers. We have to look for and challenge all forms of oppression, both outside and ones that threaten to make their way into Canada.”

“Our educators here in Canada play a vital role in influencing the future of this nation, especially in terms of integrity, policies, and values. By calling on all universities to end ties with Confucius Institutes, the Canadian Association of University Teachers have shown that they intend to uphold these values, values of the true north,” said Urgyen Badheytsang, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet Canada.

In February, McMaster University in Ontario shut down their Confucius Institute for concerns about possible human rights violations and discriminatory hiring practices.

“China today is a recently extended land-based empire which is struggling to justify itself, its repressive policies against its own citizen and especially towards its ethnic minorities,” said Kayum Masimov, President of the Uyghur Canadian Society.

“Canadian institutions should not be complicit in cooperating with the overseas branch of the Communist regime. Any association with the Confucius Institute is a stain on academic reputation and international standing of Canada.”

There are eight Confucius Institutes in Canada and over 300 worldwide. Though the Chinese government claims the institutes simply promote Chinese language and culture the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says they’re part of China’s efforts to extend its “soft power” abroad.